This I Believe

I believe in slow motion. Everybody is always going full throttle on stress-power to get through their day. When you live like this, everything passes you by. As you sprint through life, you never get a chance to observe the scenery or “smell the flowers”. I will admit that on some days it is nearly impossible to get yourself to relax. But, when you do achieve this, you will also simultaneously achieve a better life. People who can’t slow themselves down don’t get a chance to appreciate the simple things in life going slow, you can observe the perfection, beauty and subtlety that has existed around you your entire life. When I first slowed down, I didn’t know what was going on. I just let go of everything around me that was causing me stress or worry. Suddenly, the world was a different place, and I felt a lot better too. When I finally realized what it was, I also realized why it was so easy. It is very easy to relax, but the problem is that almost no one ever really tries to relax. But, as I said before, once you let go of all of your far away troubles, and focus on what is going on around you now, you will begin to live a much fuller and happier life.

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Top 100 Essays USB Drive

This USB drive contains 100 of the top This I Believe audio broadcasts of the last ten years, plus some favorites from Edward R. Murrow's radio series of the 1950s. It's perfect for personal or classroom use! Click here to learn more.

This week’s essay

As half of the magic act Penn and Teller, Penn Jillette enjoys challenging his audiences with the unconventional. In stating his personal credo, Jillette finds liberation in believing there is no God. Click here to read his essay.